PHOENIX, Ariz. – On May 9, 2016, Douglas Lawrence Bedell, Jr., 31, of Dilkon, Arizona, a member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 108 months’ imprisonment. Bedell had previously pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

On Jan. 4, 2015, Bedell killed the victim, Brian Lee, also, a member of the Navajo Nation, by stabbing him in the throat. The incident occurred on the Navajo Reservation.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. The prosecution was handled by Cassie Bray Woo and Brandon Brown, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.